Mason's Schools - A Very Short
HistoryThe earliest public schooling in Mason began in
1771 with paying Nathan Coburn for keeping school for 9 weeks and 4
days. He was paid about $1.00 per week for his services. In 1774 the
town was divided into four school districts and school houses were
built. Schooling continued all through the American Revolution, even
though funds were scarce. In 1791 the town was divided into 9
districts and new school houses were built over the next ten years
and were named in the order in which they were built with the
exception of School #1. During the next twenty years the school
buildings disappeared, having burned or been dismantled. In 1809 a
new school was built in district No. 2 and again remodeled in 1842.
Number 2, or Pratt, was the school of Hon. John Boynton, the
donor of Boynton Common School Fund which helped support schools in
Mason.

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Number 3 school was on Pole Hill continued as a school
until about 1850 when John Flagg bought it for dwelling. In
that same year, the Stone School House was built,
with two rooms, one for primary and one for secondary.
During the 1860s when the railroad came through town and the
quarries were in production this school sometimes had as
many as 114 students with a number of languages spoken.
During this time teachers made $7/week plus $2.50 for board.
Today the old school is a private home.

School Number 4, which was
nicknamed by the kids "Hardscrabble" , was rebuilt after the
original school burned in the winter of 1857-8. Scholarship
was of a high standard and several students came back as
teachers, among them Robert L. Cumnock. The building is
still standing, now remodeled as a dwelling.

School Number 5, in the
south district was nicknamed "Bangall". In 1860 its 9
scholars were taught Chemistry, Geology and Astronomy as
well as the regular subjects.

The red brick school in No. 6
District was called the "Turnpike" School and was the
longest school in use. Built in the 1820s it was closed in
1938 and torn down in 1967.

School Districts Number 7,8 and
9 were in what is now Greenville. When Greenville became
a separate town, 6 schools remained in Mason.

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School Number 1, rebuilt after a fire in 1818, was
painted red and called the Old Square School House on the
Hill or simply Center School. By 1870 the school was unfit
for students and a new building was purchased. The Center
School held three sessions and many students came there from
other outlying districts for a fee. Many children worked in
the Greenville mills and when they shut down they were
required to attend school. The classrooms would be full
until the mills started up again and the class rooms would
be near empty.

To see a school photo with 30
children & teacher (s) from about 1928, click
HERE.

In the 1870s there were sometimes more than
100 students in one school but by 1911 there were only 52 students in
the whole town. The all time low was 10 students in 1946. Mason
students were sent to Townsend High School in 1908 where a full high
school education became available.

To get a more detailed description of the
schools, see Elizabeth Orton Jones' book: Mason Bicentennial,
1768-1968.